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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§12593 Terms of Service

Title 42 › CHAPTER 129 — NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER I — NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE STATE GRANT PROGRAM › Part III — National Service Participants › § 12593

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

You must serve a full or part-time term in an approved national service job to get a national service education award. Full-time service means at least 1,700 hours in no more than 1 year. Part-time service means at least 900 hours in no more than 2 years. The Corporation that runs the programs can lower the hours needed for part-time service, but any cut in hours also cuts the size of the education award. If you are serving on disaster relief, your term can be extended by up to 90 days, and that extra time counts as the same single term. During that extension you can still get a living allowance and other benefits, but you cannot get an extra education award for the extra days. The program or grant recipient can release you from finishing your term if you have a serious personal reason and have completed at least 15% of the term, or for cause. If released for a serious reason, the program can either give you a partial award for the time you did serve or let you pause for up to 2 years (longer in special cases) and finish later to earn the full award. If you are released for cause, you cannot get any part of the education award.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §12593

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
As a condition of receiving a national service education award under division D, a participant in an approved national service position shall be required to perform full- or part-time national service for at least one term of service specified in subsection (b).
(b)Term of service
(1)Full-time service
An individual performing full-time national service in an approved national service position shall agree to participate in the program sponsoring the position for not less than 1,700 hours during a period of not more than 1 year.
(2)Part-time service
Except as provided in paragraph (3), an individual performing part-time national service in an approved national service position shall agree to participate in the program sponsoring the position for not less than 900 hours during a period of not more than 2 years.
(3)Reduction in hours of part-time service
The Corporation may reduce the number of hours required to be served to successfully complete part-time national service to a level determined by the Corporation, except that any reduction in the required term of service shall include a corresponding reduction in the amount of any national service educational award that may be available under division D with regard to that service.
(4)Extension of term for disaster purposes
(A)Extension
An individual in an approved national service position performing service directly related to disaster relief efforts may continue in a term of service for a period of 90 days beyond the period otherwise specified in, as appropriate, this subsection or section 12613(d) of this title or in section 4954 of this title.
(B)Single term of service
A period of service performed by an individual in an originally-agreed to term of service and service performed under this paragraph shall constitute a single term of service for purposes of subsections (b)(1) and (c) of section 12602 of this title.
(C)Benefits
An individual performing service under this paragraph may continue to receive a living allowance and other benefits under section 12594 of this title but may not receive an additional national service educational award under section 12595 of this title.
(c)Release from completing term of service
(1)Release authorized
A recipient of assistance under section 12571 of this title or a program sponsoring an approved national service position may release a participant from completing a term of service in the position—
(A)for compelling personal circumstances as determined by the organization responsible for granting the release, if the participant has otherwise performed satisfactorily and has completed at least 15 percent of the term of service; or
(B)for cause.
(2)Effect of release for compelling circumstances
If a participant eligible for release under paragraph (1)(A) is serving in an approved national service position, the recipient of assistance under section 12571 of this title or a program sponsoring an approved national service position may elect—
(A)to grant such release and certify the participant’s eligibility for that portion of the national service educational award corresponding to the portion of the term of service actually completed, as provided in section 12603(c) of this title; or
(B)to permit the participant to temporarily suspend performance of the term of service for a period of up to 2 years (and such additional period as the Corporation may allow for extenuating circumstances) and, upon completion of such period, to complete the remainder of the term of service and obtain the entire national service educational award.
(3)Effect of release for cause
A participant released for cause may not receive any portion of the national service educational award.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2009—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1314(1)(A), struck out “not less than 9 months and” before “not more than 1 year”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1314(1)(B), substituted “during a period of not more than 2 years.” for “during a period of— “(A) not more than 2 years; or “(B) not more than 3 years if the individual is enrolled in an institute of higher education while preforming all or a portion of the service.” Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1314(1)(C), added par. (4). Subsec. (c)(1)(A). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1314(2)(A), substituted “as determined by the organization responsible for granting the release, if the participant has otherwise performed satisfactorily and has completed at least 15 percent of the term of service” for “as demonstrated by the participant”. Subsec. (c)(2)(A). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1314(2)(B)(i), substituted “certify the participant’s eligibility for that portion of the national service educational award” for “provide to the participant that portion of the national service educational award”. Subsec. (c)(2)(B). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1314(2)(B)(ii), struck out “to allow return to the program with which the individual was serving in order” before “to complete the remainder”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2009 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–13 effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as a note under section 4950 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1993, see section 123 of Pub. L. 103–82, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1993 Amendment note under section 1701 of Title 16, Conservation.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 12593

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110